Khmer Rouge Historical Site – Wat Thmey

Wat Tepothivong, also known as Wat Thmey, is located on the outskirts of Siem Reap. It served as a prison and killing field during the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979. During this period, approximately 8,000 prisoners were detained, murdered, and thrown into mass burial pits or water wells. Today, the complex houses a collection of Khmer Rouge photos, paintings, and instruments of torture. It also features a memorial stupa containing over 800 skulls. The extreme brutality of the communist Khmer Rouge regime, led by Pol Pot, is starkly contrasted with the Buddhist pagoda architecture and murals.  

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